Misery Loves Company
by FateChica
Summary: Rated for language. The anniversary of the Cell Games is coming up and Gohan isn't exactly the world's happiest camper. With no friends and having to write a paper on Mr. Satan, how is Gohan going to cope with the anniversary of his dad's death at the s
1. Misery Loves Company Chapter 1

This is an idea that popped into my mind and I just had to write it down! It takes place during the anniversary of the Cell Games and Gohan's emotions during that time. I hope you like it. It's short, only a couple of chapters, and I had a lot of fun writing it.  
  
Disclaimer: Dragonball Z isn't mine. I don't own it. Toriyama Akira-sama owns it. I'm just a fan.  
  
-------Misery Loves Company----------  
Gohan muttered a curse underneath his breath. He could never appreciate the warm weather at the end of May. He hated the fact that nature mocked him when all he wanted to do was mourn his father. And this year was no different. The skies were clear and sunny with no hope of changing throughout the week.   
  
Couldn't I just have a little bit of gloomy weather on Friday? Gohan silently asked, knowing that it wouldn't happen. The weather would continue to mock him all the way through the anniversary of his father's death. Even in class, it mocked him. Early on Monday morning, Gohan could see the sunny day ahead. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and it didn't look like one would appear any time soon. Sitting next to him, Eraser heard the curse and looked sympathetically at Gohan.  
  
"What's the matter, Gohan, have a bad weekend?" she asked. Gohan didn't answer and Eraser kept talking.  
  
"I don't know why you look so down, Gohan. This is the greatest week of the year! This week we celebrate how Mr. Satan defeated Cell!" Eraser explained. Gohan's frown only deepened as she spoke those words.   
  
It was ME who defeated Cell, not that clown, Gohan screamed inside his mind, but knew better than to say out loud. A couple of seats down from Eraser, Sharpener scoffed.  
  
"Don't bother with a geek like him, Eraser. He wouldn't know a grand celebration like this from a hillbilly square dance," Sharpener said with a malicious smirk on his face. Gohan gritted his teeth in order to keep himself from punching Sharpener right in that smug face of his.   
  
"He probably didn't even watch Mr. Satan's victory at the Cell Games on TV because he was too busy studying like his mommy wanted him too," Sharpener mocked. I didn't need to watch it on TV, you retard. I was there, trying to live against Cell's evil power, Gohan thought to Sharpener, clenching his fists as his anger built up inside of him.  
  
"His family probably doesn't even have a TV seeing how as they live out in the wild. Do you even have a TV, geek-boy? Or did you get your entertainment from chasing squirrels around all day?" Sharpener asked, laughing as those around him laughed as his cruel words. Even Videl chuckled at Sharpener's words.   
  
Gohan felt his anger slipping, his rage building as his emotions caused him to begin the transformation to Super Saiya-jin. Looking over at Sharpener, he gave him a rage-filled, turquoise glare, causing Sharpener to jump at the pupil-less turquoise eyes that were glaring daggers at him.  
  
"Sharpener," Eraser cut in, causing Gohan's transformation to stop short, his eyes going back to normal, "That's not nice to say about Gohan. You don't have to be so cruel to him." Gohan sighed, thankful for Eraser's intervention.   
  
Kami, if she hadn't spoken, I would have gone Super Saiya-jin right in the middle of class! Gohan thought, unclenching his fists.  
  
"Did you guys see that?" Sharpener asked, his voice a little panicked sounding. Videl looked over at Sharpener with curious eyes.  
  
"Did we see what?" she asked.  
  
"Geek-boy's eyes! They were turquoise!" Videl sighed and looked over at Gohan, noting that they were not turquoise and were their normal, deep black color.  
  
"Sharpener, I think you're going crazy," Videl said.  
  
"I am not going crazy! They really were!" Sharpener insisted, but couldn't press his point further as their history teacher walked into the room, signaling the beginning of the first class of the day. Gohan effortlessly paid attention throughout the duration of the class, waiting for the history teacher to give them their daily assignment.  
  
"Ok," the female teacher said, "In honor of what this Friday is, you all are going to write a researched paper on the greatest man in the world and what he did to ensure our existence today." Gohan frowned, knowing that she meant Mr. Satan.   
  
Well, fuck me if I'm going to write about that buffoon, Gohan thought, the rare expletive filtering through his mind. Hanging out with Vegeta for a good length of time had educated Gohan in many things, cuss words included. Gohan could hear Videl sigh as the teacher finished announcing their assignment.   
  
"Aw man, not again," Videl muttered, Gohan's Saiya-jin ears picking up her words.   
  
I take it they write a paper on this every year. That must suck, Gohan thought, listening as the bell signaled and the teacher left the room to make way for their English teacher.   
  
For the next three hours Gohan suffered through English, math, and physics, waiting not so impatiently for the beginning of lunch so he could be alone for a while. Gohan watched in agony as the last five minutes of physics ticked by on the clock, as if watching it could make it go faster.   
  
You know what they say: a watched pot never boils, Gohan thought, reminding himself of his foolishness. Gohan felt ready to shoot something as the last few seconds ticked on the clock. He nearly jumped for joy when the bell rung, alerting the entire student body that lunch had begun.   
  
Gohan slowly put his things into his bag, waiting for his classmates to file out of the classroom. Still a little uncomfortable with large crowds, Gohan generally waited for everyone to leave until he left himself. It allowed him to relax after class.   
  
He walked down the hallway, enjoying the silence that echoed around him. With the exception of a few stragglers, Gohan was essentially by himself, a feeling he learned to savor since entering high school. Gohan approached his locker and opened the door with sigh, placing his school bag on a hook inside his locker, pulling his lunch off the top shelf.   
  
Sometimes I wish mom never sent me to this school. I have no friends here, with the exception of the times that Eraser sticks up for me. But, sometimes I think that's only because I sit next to her in class and she pities me. Kami, I'm the strongest being in the universe and I have a ditzy blonde pitying me. How pathetic is that? Gohan thought sadly as he closed his locker door and shouldered the bag that carried his entire lunch. Since entering high school, Gohan had to eat much more for breakfast everyday in order to make up for the decreased size of his lunch, never mind the fact that he ate a lunch big enough for 10 people.   
  
Gohan made his way outside to where the majority of the school population ate their lunch. Gohan normally ate behind a large oak tree, a part of campus that was never occupied by any other students. The only bad part about his spot is that it required passing by the entire student body. To Gohan's somewhat fragile self-esteem, having to listen to all of snide comments about him that his classmates thought he couldn't hear was like a never-ending series of punches to his gut. His heart clenched at each comment and each one only hurt more.   
  
Gohan paused before exiting the school building to walk across the courtyard, trying to brave himself for the emotional abuse headed his way. What made Gohan angry about the whole situation was that all of his peers were judging him without even knowing what he was like. But his anger at his peers' immaturity was greatly dwarfed by his hurt at his peers' insensitivity, an insensitivity he never had to experience until he entered high school. Gulping, Gohan began his walk through the large courtyard, trying to ignore the stares, giggles, and remarks coming his way.   
  
"He's such a dork," he heard someone whisper.  
  
"I know. I mean, look at his clothes. You can tell he doesn't have a clue about what's cool."  
  
"Like he could be cool if he tried."  
  
"He's nothing but a geek."  
  
"He looks so wild. I bet that comes from living in the mountains. What a hillbilly." Tears pricked Gohan's eyes as he heard the comments about everything from his hair to his parents, which angered him greatly. Finally, he found his normal spot and took comfort and solace behind the large tree that hid him from view. Wiping away the budding tears, Gohan opened his bag and began eating his lunch. There was no doubt he was a Saiya-jin seeing how food always made him feel better.   
  
After quickly devouring his lunch, Gohan leaned back against the tree, relaxing against its solidity. From the other side of the tree, Gohan could hear the voices of the students of Orange Star High School going about their conversations, with their friends. Gohan chuckled at the thought of the word.   
  
Hmph, friends. I really wouldn't know what that was like, would I? The only friend I have who is remotely my age is the Kami of this planet. Most of my other friends are my parents' friends. I have no human, normal friends my age. Kami, I feel so alone. If only my dad were here. He could help me out, Gohan thought, a smile widening on his face at the thought of his father.   
  
That's who I'll write about. The man who really is responsible for the existence of the world today: Son Goku, Gohan thought, content with his decision. It wasn't much longer until lunch ended, the bell ringing to alert everyone that class was about to start. Gohan once again shouldered his now empty bag and walked back to the main building to brave it through the rest of the school day.  
  
***  
Gohan sighed in relief as he flew away from the school building, thankful that the day was finally over. Lifting his wrist, Gohan checked the time.   
  
Kami, if I don't hurry, I'm going to be late for work, Gohan thought. For the past couple of years, Gohan had joined his genius with Bulma's and, together, the two of them continuously pumped out designs for new capsules. Their most recent design was a new hovercar that had an almost self-propelled engine.   
  
If only we could find a way to not lose any power due to heat. But, as it is, we've eliminated almost all of the heat loss. I suppose that's good enough for the moment. Bulma and I have to finish this design soon, though. It's due for testing in a week! Gohan thought, slightly panicked. But, he mainly knew not to worry. When he and Bulma worked together, things were completed at an astounding rate.   
  
I'm quite thankful for the job, though. It's really helped us get by since the money dad won at the Tenkaichi Budoukai has started to run low. Since Bulma pays generously, money isn't an issue anymore, Gohan thought as he landed on the yard in front of the Capsule Corp. estate. Gohan walked up to the door and punched in several keys on the keypad, the password that allowed him to get into the Capsule Corp. building without having to knock. He worked his way through Capsule Corp. to where Bulma's labs were located. On his way, Gohan was lucky enough to have a run-in with Vegeta.  
  
"Well, well," Vegeta called out as he exited the gravity room, "If it isn't Kakarotto's oldest brat. What brings you down to my home today? Up for a spar?" Gohan shook his head.  
  
"Nope, I'm here for work. Remember? I work with Bulma on designs for her latest products," Gohan explained.  
  
"Hmph. Well, after you're finished with my mate, gaki," Vegeta said, using the Saiya-jin word for "brat", "Come down and we'll spar." (AN: I know that gaki is the Japanese word for brat, but since I need to make a distinction between Japanese and Saiya-go, the Japanese is going to be written in English, since it's my primary language, and the Saiya-go is going to be written in Japanese. I don't have time to make up a new language when I can get by with using Japanese for Saiya-go.) Gohan smirked.  
  
"Fine, I'll be there in about 4 hours," Gohan said. Vegeta chuckled.  
  
"I'll be waiting to kick your ass," Vegeta said. Gohan laughed out loud.  
  
"You wish, Veggie-head," Gohan teased, loving the way that the vein in Vegeta's forehead throbbed at his insult.  
  
"You'll pay for that, gaki," Vegeta warned before storming back into the gravity room. Gohan sighed and continued on his way through Capsule Corp., a smile on his face. Though the Saiya-jin prince had a tendency to be always on the testy side, Gohan had found a closer friend in the older Saiya-jin than he had in anybody at school. Vegeta had almost become something of a mentor to Gohan, teaching Gohan all about the Saiya-jin ways, including the language, that Vegeta had learned about before he had been taken by Frieza. Gohan made it to the lab in only a few minutes, immediately spotting Bulma sitting at her computer.  
  
"Hey, kid," she called out, not looking up from her monitor, "How's it going?" Gohan shrugged, walking over to sit at the lab table that sat next to the computer station.  
  
"It's going ok. How about you?" Bulma looked up at him and gave him a smile.  
  
"Oh, everything's going all right. Hey, could you check over the formulae for the hovercar's engine? I'm running the diagnostics on the designs for the rest of the hovercar on the computer right now. If you could check over the formulae for the engine, I could run some tests on them right after and we could draw up a definite set of plans to hand over to the Research and Testing division. They've been waiting for this for a while; I don't want to disappoint them," Bulma said. Gohan gave her a small nod before turning to look at the plans for the engine, formulae surrounding the computer-generated design. Gohan emitted a small sigh before getting to work, his genius brain recalculating the calculations with minimal effort.   
  
As he performed his task, Bulma snuck a look over at the young man who had become like a son to her over the past 5 years he had been working with her. With a genius mind to rival her own, Gohan could do anything that he wanted. She wanted him to work with her after he got out of college, maybe even take over her job as president and CEO one day since Trunks didn't quite display the same genius that Gohan and herself possessed.   
  
But, that's up for him to decide. He seems to like working here well enough, though. I'll put the idea past him one day, Bulma thought, smiling to herself. That smile faded, however, when she noticed the depressed look on Gohan's face, a look she hadn't seen before.  
  
"Gohan," she interrupted, "Is something wrong?" Gohan looked up in surprise at Bulma's question.  
  
"What are you talking about?" Gohan said, his eyes shifty, like he didn't want to talk about it. Bulma sighed.  
  
"Don't think you're going to fool me, Son Gohan. I saw the depressed look on your face. What is it? Is it home life? Is it something Vegeta said? Because if it is, I'll-"  
  
"It's not Vegeta," Gohan said, cutting off Bulma, "You're right, though. Something is wrong." A look of worry made its way onto Bulma's face.  
  
"What is it?" she asked, her voice softening. Gohan sighed.  
  
"It's school. I hate it there, Bulma. I have no friends and everybody makes fun of me. I don't want to go back to school; everybody hates me. To them, I'm just a big dork. The only person who's nice to me takes pity on me!" Bulma looked sadly at Gohan, recalling her own experiences in high school.  
  
"They just do it because they're afraid of you. I remember when I was in high school. I received much the same treatment you did because they were intimidated by how smart I was," Bulma said. Gohan scoffed.  
  
"Well, they just think I'm a great big hillbilly," Gohan said. Bulma placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.  
  
"Hey, don't let them get to you, Gohan. You'll amount to more than any of them will. You're smart, funny, and considerate. You've helped saved this planet several times from evil threats; that's something that most people never do. You've accomplished so much more than they have. Just remember that," Bulma said. Gohan gave her a small smile.  
  
"Thanks, Bulma. That helps a little. I just wish they wouldn't be so quick to judge me. They didn't even know me for 10 minutes before they branded me a geek. But, knowing that there are people out there that think differently makes me feel better." Bulma smiled triumphantly.  
  
"Just doing my job as your friend and surrogate mother," Bulma said. Both of them turned back to their work, a long silence hanging between the two of them. About a half an hour later, Gohan had finished checking over the calculations and handed them over to Bulma.  
  
"Hey Bulma," Gohan said as he handed her the design sheet, "What was my dad like when he was younger? What type of adventures did he get into?" Bulma looked up at Gohan with a curious look in her eyes.  
  
"Why do you ask?" Gohan smiled a little sheepishly.  
  
"Well," Gohan said, "Nobody's ever really told me and I thought since you and my dad were so close when you were younger that you'd be able to tell me." Bulma smiled.  
  
"Sure kid," Bulma said and began indulging him in tales of Goku's past as she absent-mindedly ran the diagnostics on the design for the engine. A couple hours later, Bulma had finished telling what she knew of Goku's adventures and battles from when he was younger, giving Gohan most, if not all, of the details. Gohan smiled as Bulma finished telling her story.  
  
"Hey, thanks Bulma. Are we finished for today?" Gohan asked. Bulma nodded.  
  
"Yeah, well, since we finished the designs for the hovercar, there's not much else to do today. Why do you ask?" Gohan gave a small smirk.  
  
"Because Vegeta wants me to have a good, old-fashioned spar with him and I wanted to indulge him." Bulma sighed.  
  
"Didn't the two of you spar yesterday?" Bulma asked. Gohan nodded.  
  
"Yes, and the day before that, too. Bulma, we practically spar everyday. We are both Saiya-jins, you know." Bulma shot him a look.  
  
"Well, buddy, you're only half, remember?" Bulma reminded. Gohan nodded once again.  
  
"Yeah, I remember. But, I have Saiya-jin blood running through my veins and that's enough to warrant me being a Saiya-jin, even though Vegeta sometimes calls me half-breed," Gohan explained. Bulma sighed.  
  
"Get out of here, kid," she said good-naturedly, "Go have your spar with Vegeta. And try not to break the gravity machine again, please?" Gohan gave Bulma a smile.  
  
"I'll make an effort and though I'm not too sure about Vegeta, I'll tell him, too."   
  
"Good, because otherwise there will be one Saiya-jin prince who will be sleeping on the couch for a week," Bulma grumbled. Gohan laughed as he left the lab, waving good-bye to Bulma. Stopping by the small locker room by the gravity chamber to change into his gi, Gohan entered the gravity room, effectively shutting off the 550 Gs that Vegeta had been training at. Vegeta turned and smirked at Gohan.  
  
"I felt you approaching. I take it you're up for a spar?" Vegeta asked as the door closed behind Gohan. Gohan smiled.  
  
"You bet!" Gohan exclaimed, his blood flowing just from the thought of a good fight, "Bring it on, Vegeta." Vegeta smiled as he floated down to the control center, turning the gravity up to 500 Gs, the level they normally sparred at these days.  
  
"You'll get the fight of your life, gaki."  
  
"I highly doubt that, Vegeta."  
  
--------------  
The next chapter of this is when everything goes down...kinda. Just read it an find out! 


	2. Misery Loves Company Chapter 2

Here's the second and last part of "Misery Loves Company". Enjoy!  
  
Disclaimer: See part 1  
  
-----------Misery Loves Company-----------  
The next day, Gohan grumbled as he made his way to his classroom.  
  
"Vegeta no bakayoro," Gohan mumbled, swearing in Saiya-go. He reached up and touched his swollen eye tenderly.   
  
Great, just another thing I need. Everybody in class is probably going to think that some punk beat me up and robbed me or something and that I couldn't defend myself, Gohan thought, knowing that the truth was quite different.   
  
The day before, when Gohan and Vegeta had been sparring, Gohan's mind hadn't been fully on the fight. Part of his mind had been occupied with Bulma's story about his father and what he was going to write for the paper that was due on Friday. Vegeta had taken advantage of Gohan's distracted state and popped Gohan solidly in the eye. With Gohan's Saiya-jin blood, the black eye and the cut above his eye had healed over night, leaving only the swelling that would disappear by the end of the day, leaving him perfectly unscathed. But, Gohan knew that his classmates were going to assume the wrong thing.   
  
Just watch, Gohan thought as he entered his classroom, seeing most of his classmates already in their seats. He felt their disapproving and mocking stares as he entered the room and made his way for his seat.  
  
"Whoo, what happened to you, geek-boy?" one of Sharpener's friends asked.  
  
"Yeah, geek-bait, what happened? Did you get in a fight? Or did you just get beat up by somebody who wanted your lunch money?" Sharpener mocked, his friends laughing right along with Sharpener. Gohan felt his anger and hurt rising at the laughter, but remembered what Bulma had told him the day before and promptly ignored Sharpener, sitting down in his chair and pulling out his notebook.  
  
"Aw, look guys, poor Gohan's hurt," Sharpener continued, "Looks like we hurt his feelings." The tone of Sharpener's voice only made his friends laugh harder. Gohan only continued to ignore Sharpener, reminding himself that he was so much better than Sharpener ever would be.   
  
Sharpener's antics had stopped by the time class started and Gohan was left alone for the duration of class. Part way through first period, Gohan noticed that Eraser wasn't in her seat.   
  
Hmm, she must be sick today, Gohan thought as he listened to his history teacher continue to lecture. History had eventually come and gone, leaving literature next. It was a class that Gohan was less enthralled with, so he only half paid attention as his teacher talked about symbolism.   
  
Part way through that class, Gohan felt a familiar ki approaching his own. He look down at the door as it suddenly swung open, Vegeta walking in to stand in front of his entire class, holding a manila envelope in one hand.  
  
"Excuse me, sir," the lit teacher began, "Did you need something?" Vegeta completely ignored the woman, his attention on Gohan. Gohan was shocked and immediately questioned Vegeta in Saiya-go.  
  
"Vegeta-san, koko de nani o surun desu ka?" Gohan asked, his surprise ringing in his voice. Translation: Vegeta, what are you doing here? (AN: ::this means translated Saiya-go:: )  
  
::My mate wanted me to give you this. She said it couldn't wait,:: Vegeta said, tossing the envelope up to Gohan with amazing speed. Gohan caught it and looked at it curiously.  
  
::What is it?:: Gohan questioned. Vegeta shrugged.  
  
::I don't know. Some design she was working on that she wanted you to have a look at or something,:: Vegeta explained.  
  
::Oh, thanks. This'll help me from being bored in class all day,:: Gohan said. Vegeta sneered as he looked at the rest of Gohan's class.  
  
::I don't know how you can stand being around all these weaklings. From what I hear from my mate, these brats make fun of you. I say blast them all to hell,:: Vegeta suggested. Gohan sighed.  
  
::Vegeta, I can't do that and you know it. Now, you should probably go back home before I get my teacher really mad at me,:: Gohan said. Vegeta just scowled.  
  
::Fine. But I expect you in the gravity chamber after you finish up here.:: Gohan sighed again.  
  
::Whatever, Vegeta. Just as long as you don't give me another black eye,:: Gohan said. Vegeta chuckled.  
  
::This time, don't get distracted, then,:: Vegeta smirked before walking out, the door closing behind him. The class was looking at Gohan with a semblance of shock while the teacher just looked a little annoyed.  
  
"Who was that, Gohan?" she questioned.  
  
"Oh, that was my guardian dropping off a homework assignment that I forgot for one of my classes," Gohan lied, happy that it came out so smoothly. His lit teacher only nodded.  
  
"Well, that's nice. And what was that language you two were speaking? It was absolutely beautiful!" she exclaimed. Gohan blushed slightly.  
  
"Oh, it's his native language. He comes from another country and he taught it to me when I was younger," Gohan said, only lying a little bit that time. The lit teacher accepted that answer and decided that it was time to resume class.   
  
Videl looked over at Gohan with curious suspicion as he opened the envelope and pulled out a small stack of papers, immediately engrossed with them. A few moments later, he picked up his pencil and furiously began writing something down on the papers he had been given, the top paper laid off to the side. Videl continued to stare at him.   
  
What was that about? Who was that guy? Well, whoever he was, he tossed that envelope with amazing speed. I didn't even see him throw it. And Gohan caught it effortlessly! What is going on here? What's in that envelope? Videl wondered, needing to see the contents of the envelope. About an hour later, after classes had switched again, Gohan raised his hand.  
  
"Yes, Gohan?" the teacher questioned.  
  
"May I go to the bathroom?" Gohan asked.  
  
"Certainly," the teacher replied. Gohan nodded his thanks and got up, leaving the room. Videl was ecstatic. Now was her chance see what was in that envelope! Reaching over across Eraser's empty seat, Videl grabbed the note that had been set off to the side and was shocked to see that it was from the personal letterhead of Bulma Briefs.   
  
No way! Somebody must have stolen this from her. Why else would he have a letter that said Bulma Briefs on the top? Videl thought as she read the letter.  
  
"Gohan," the letter read, "Here are some designs I thought of last night and drew up this morning. I want you to look at the designs and see if you can come up with some formulae and calculations that will help us, ok? Signed, Bulma." Videl felt like she had the wind knocked out of her. Bulma Briefs was asking Gohan for help on her designs? And she was the smartest woman in the world!   
  
Reaching over once again, Videl grabbed a couple of papers from the pile Gohan had been working on and felt her jaw drop in amazement. Scribbled all over the designs were endless formulae and calculations to go with this. Just the math involved was enough to make Videl's head spin, even though she was in calculus.   
  
This is the type of stuff that Gohan is capable of? Why is he even in school? He's not a geek, he's a super genius! Why, with his brains, he doesn't even need to be in school anymore! No wonder he makes school work look so easy, Videl thought, quickly putting back the papers so Gohan wouldn't suspect anything for a little while. She still intended on asking him how he knew Bulma Briefs.   
  
But that will have to wait until lunch, Videl thought. Gohan walked into the room a few moments later and went right back to the work he was doing on those designs. Videl watched him out of the corner of her eye, seeing him scribble furiously on the designs. Even from the corner of her eye, she could see the blaze of intelligence that was held in his eyes, wondering why she hadn't seen it before.   
  
Probably because I've never seen him even slightly challenged before this, Videl told herself. Eventually, lunch rolled around and Videl waited around the corner from Gohan's locker, waiting for him to show up. It didn't take long for Gohan to show up at his locker and that's when Videl closed in on him.  
  
"Hey Gohan," she said, causing him to jump a little. Gohan turned and looked at her suspiciously.  
  
"Hey, Videl," he said slowly, "Did you want something?" Videl nodded.  
  
"Yeah, I wanted to ask you something. Um, how do you know Bulma Briefs?" she asked. Gohan's eyes narrowed into a look Videl had never seen before: anger.  
  
"How did you know that?" Gohan hissed. Videl wasn't afraid to admit to herself that she was slightly scared and intimidated by the look Gohan was giving her.  
  
"Well…I, um…" she trailed off. Gohan saw right through her.  
  
"You looked at my stuff when I was gone? How could you?" Gohan didn't even give Videl a chance to answer before he continued. "You know what? I've put up with you and your friends laughing at me for the past month now without doing anything about it because I've considered myself to be above your level of pettiness, because I wasn't going to sink to a level of maturity that I had grown out of when I was 11. But, invading my privacy? I thought that at least being the daughter of a so-called hero," Gohan said, spitting out the word, "That you'd have at least a little integrity. Apparently I was wrong. You're no better than Sharpener." Glaring at Videl, Gohan turned and stalked away, his anger radiating off of him.   
  
Videl was too shocked to even give a comeback or to yell at him for talking to her like that. The truth was that Gohan was right.   
  
Kami, I've always considered myself to be better than everyone in my class. He's right. I've been making fun of him the entire time by not stopping Sharpener, even when I knew he was being mean and even laughing at some of Sharpener's comments. And I was wrong to look at his personal belongings. I was just curious. If I wanted to know, I should have just asked him. Kami, I am no better than Sharpener, Videl thought.   
  
Videl wasn't surprised when Gohan didn't show up for class the rest of the day, or even the Wednesday following that. He showed up on Thursday briefly, however, to turn in his history paper before immediately leaving.   
  
She wished he'd just show up and stay, however. She really needed to apologize to him and it was hard to do that when he wasn't at school. She was relieved when he finally showed up on Friday, but was concerned when she saw the look of absolute misery on his face.   
  
Kami, he looks like his dog just died, Videl thought. Gohan walked up and sat down in his usual seat, Videl following him with her eyes. Beside her, Eraser smiled at Gohan.  
  
"Hey Gohan. I'm happy you could make it to school today seeing how today, after lunch, is the celebration of the defeat of Cell," Eraser said excitedly. Gohan grumbled beside her.  
  
"You don't need to remind me," Gohan said, a lump of unshed tears forming in his throat. Gohan was half tempted to let the tears fall. It was the anniversary of his father's death, of the mistake he made that cost Goku's life; he was allowed to mourn.   
  
Eraser, sensing Gohan's mood, didn't say to anything more to him. The history teacher walked in, her short stature making its way to the front of the class. The students quickly quieted down when she leaned against her desk, a small smile on her face.  
  
"Well, I'm happy that everybody showed up for school on this fantastic day," she said, "I read all of your papers last night and was very pleased with most of them. Though, there was one paper that greatly disappointed me. In all of my years as a history teacher, I have never seen a student write such a blatant miswriting of history and, not only am I failing this student's paper for his complete and utter lie, I am going to call him down to read his paper in front of the whole class to give you an example of what never to do." She paused so she could take in a huge breath.   
  
"Son Gohan, would you please come down here?" The class let out a collective gasp. Their perfect Son Gohan lied on a paper and failed it? Videl looked over at Gohan and saw the grim determination on his face. Slowly pushing himself up from his seated position, Gohan walked down to the front of the class.  
  
"Son Gohan," the teacher said when he reached her, "I would like you to read it to the rest of the class. I must say I am highly disappointed in you. I had higher hopes for you on this paper. I don't know what happened." Gohan gritted his teeth.  
  
"I didn't lie," he said, the whole class able to hear his words, "Everything I wrote in that paper was the truth." The teacher glared at him.  
  
"Gohan, I don't want to hear another lie out of you," she said as she handed him her paper, complete with a giant red F on the top of the page, "Now read this." Gohan glared back at her.  
  
"Fine," Gohan spat out, turning to face the rest of the class. Clearing his voice, he began to read.  
  
"There have been many heroes throughout history, people who display the courage and valor that earned them the hero title. Many heroes, however, cannot claim to have saved the world. And even fewer, several times. There is a small list of people who have saved the world on more than one occasion. One of those people is my father, Son Goku.  
  
"Even at the early age of 12, Son Goku saved the world from a violent takeover of the ambitions Emperor Pilaf. By destroying all of his resources, Emperor Pilaf had no choice but to give up his ambitions. This little known fact is only known by close friends and family, however, and is not in history books. But, there a few things in history books that my father can be accredited for.  
  
"2 years later, my father encountered the Red Ribbon Army. Also bent on taking over the world and casting it into a dictatorship, the Red Ribbon Army was a threat to the world and everyone in it. In a fierce battle armed with only his martial arts skills and a quarterstaff, my father single-handedly destroyed the Red Ribbon Army, preventing them seeing their plans to fruition.   
  
"An even greater threat appeared a year later at the 22nd Tenkaichi Budoukai in the form of Piccolo Daimao. After killing several people and taking over the Northern Capitol, Piccolo Daimao had almost taken control of the entire Earth. But, my father stood up to him and defeated him in a battle that resulted in the death of Piccolo Daimao.  
  
"For a while, the Earth was at peace. But, that wasn't to last. A mere 12 years ago, this planet was attacked by aliens, the same aliens who destroyed East City entirely. The Z-senshi were the ones who faced him, my father at the head, leading him and his comrades to victory.  
  
"Though these incidents are impressive, my father's greatest achievement was his fight against the monster we all know as Cell. My father, the golden haired man who stepped into the ring after Mr. Satan had been cast aside by Cell, fought viciously with Cell, using every technique he could to defeat Cell. Using the famous Kamehameha attack he learned from Muten Roshi, my father had destroyed half of Cell, but being the android that he was, Cell was able to regenerate himself to look like nothing had happened to him.   
  
"After much fierce battling, Cell decided the only way to get rid of my father and the Z-senshi was to self-destruct. My father risked his life by removing Cell and himself from the planet, killing both himself and the monster Cell in the process.  
  
"Not many people can be considered a hero on the same level as my father. My father risked his life for the safety of the Earth and the people on it. If anyone truly can be considered a hero, it is my father, Son Goku." Gohan took in a deep breath and lowered his paper, glancing up at the rest of his class. The class seemed to be in shock after Gohan's reading of his paper. As usual, Sharpener was the first person to speak up, laughing the entire time.  
  
"Your father is Son Goku? The man who cheated his way to victory at the Tenkaichi Budoukai with his light tricks and such? You really believed he saved the world from Cell? I don't think your father can compare to the strength Mr. Satan possessed," Sharpener said.  
  
"Yeah," one of his cronies agreed, "Mr. Satan is the strongest man in the world. Your story about your father beating Cell is a complete lie. I don't know why you think that he beat Cell."   
  
"You know what, Gohan?" Sharpener said, "I think your father is nothing but a liar. A cheating, stinking liar. And you're just like him. No wonder you're so smart! You've been cheating the entire time!" Gohan's fists clenched at Sharpener's words and he felt his anger rising to the point that the earth was starting to shake.   
  
The entire class looked surprised as the small earthquake shook the classroom. Deciding that it wasn't worth it to get mad in front of his class, Gohan immediately put a stopper on his anger and unclenched his fists, letting his paper fall to the floor. The shaking stopped immediately after his paper hit the ground.  
  
"I think I will be excusing myself now," Gohan said to the teacher before leaving the room, slamming the door shut so hard that it flew off of its hinges and crashed against the opposite wall. Videl was shocked speechless. She couldn't even think properly. She saw the look on his face when Sharpener called his father a liar; he looked ready to cry and kill Sharpener at the same time and part of her didn't doubt that he could do the latter.   
  
Was that earthquake caused by him? It seemed to stop when he calmed down. I need to figure it out, Videl thought as she stood up. The teacher looked alarmed when Videl stood up. Videl quickly explained herself.  
  
"I'm going to go look for Gohan, ma'am," Videl said, "He doesn't seem that stable at the moment and I'm worried about what he might do to himself." The teacher nodded and excused Videl. Videl then spent the next 20 minutes looking for Gohan. She looked everywhere: the gym, the courtyard, the cafeteria, he just wasn't anywhere.   
  
Suddenly, an idea struck her and Videl took off for the stairs that led to the roof. She wasted little time in getting to the roof and she quietly opened the door so as not to alarm Gohan. She felt her heart clench as she heard the sounds of anguished sobs.   
  
Dear Kami, that's Gohan! Videl thought as she crept out onto the roof. She began walking towards Gohan in order comfort him, spotting him sitting against the wall that boxed in the roof. He had his head buried in his hands and she could see him shaking as the sobs wracked his body.   
  
She literally took a step back in shock as the noticed the state of misery he was in and wondered how she had never noticed the agony that he was in. He always put up with everything with a smile on his face, never seeming to care. But, Videl knew now that it was all a cover up for his true feelings. He buried everything so deeply inside that no one could see it.   
  
Videl had quickly recovered form her shock and started moving towards him when another figure popped into view. Alarmed, Videl hurried to hide behind one of the large air vents that littered the school roof and settled in to watch the impending exchange between Gohan and the stranger. When Videl peered around the corner to watch, she was shocked to see the appearance of the new stranger.   
  
Holy shit! He's green! Videl thought with shock. She kept it to herself, though, and continued to watch.  
  
"Gohan," the gentle voice called out. Gohan's head snapped up and looked to his right, a small smile gracing his face.  
  
"Dende," Gohan said, an obvious sigh of relief in his voice, "What are you doing here?" Dende smiled.  
  
"I decided to make a little house call," Dende said, confusing Videl greatly, "I'd been watching you and I could sense your grief from the Lookout so I came down here. I put Mr. Popo in charge."   
  
"Why not Piccolo?" Gohan asked.  
  
"Because Piccolo was nowhere to be seen," Dende answered as he took a seat next to Gohan on the ground, "Are you ok? What's wrong?" Gohan sighed.  
  
"Everything, so it seems," Gohan replied, "I'm having a shitty month, Dende." Dende placed a hand on Gohan's shoulder.  
  
"I know. Tell me about it, Gohan. Why do you feel so bad?" Gohan gave Dende a small smile.  
  
"You should know, Dende. Don't you know everything?" Gohan asked. Dende gave a small nod.  
  
"Yes, but it helps to talk about it," Dende responded. Gohan gave another sigh.  
  
"Well, it's just this whole school thing. It makes me feel like crap. I have no friends, Dende, no one I can talk to," Gohan said.   
  
"You have me. We're best friends, remember Gohan?" Dende said. Gohan shot Dende a look.  
  
"Yeah, I know. But you're busy being Kami. You know, listening to prayers, taking care of natural disasters, and things like that." Videl felt like the wind had been knocked out of her.   
  
Gohan is best friends with Kami? No way! Videl thought, almost unable to believe it.  
  
"Well, be thankful that I am Kami. It's how I was able to respond to your pain," Dende explained. Gohan gave a small chuckle.  
  
"Well, you know what they say. Misery loves company," Gohan quipped. Dende shot Gohan a look.  
  
"Don't be smart and keep talking," Dende said.  
  
"Yeah," Gohan said, "So, anyway, you're my best friend and everything, Dende, but you're busy being Kami all the time. I'd like to at least have one friend my age besides you, who's always busy, to be able to talk to. But, everybody here things I'm a freak. I have no friends here and the kids here all make fun of me. I even caught one of them snooping through my stuff and she confronted me on it as if I had to explain myself." Videl felt the weight of guilt drop into the pit of her stomach.   
  
He's complaining about me to Kami. That can't be good for my chances in the afterlife, Videl thought to herself.  
  
"The best emotion I get around here is pity! Me, receiving pity! Dende, I'm the strongest warrior in the universe! Doesn't strike you as a bit pathetic?" Videl raised an eyebrow. Gohan? The strongest warrior in the universe? Videl made a note to ask Gohan later if she could ever confess to eavesdropping on him.  
"Did you ever talk to your mom about letting you go back to being home schooled?" Dende asked. Gohan sighed.  
  
"That would be admitting defeat. Besides, mom thinks that I'm having a great time at school. The only people who know I'm having a hard time are you, Bulma, Vegeta, and Piccolo. Mom would never let me out of the house if she knew that I was having a bad time out in the real world. And that's not what it is. I'm sick and tired of being around these people who all have the maturity of 9 year old children. I expected a lot of people to be more mature than this. Apparently I was wrong," Gohan complained. Dende gave Gohan another sympathetic smile.  
  
"Don't worry. Most of them will grow out of it sooner or later. I've been watching a few of them closely, particularly the ones around you in your class since they're in your general vicinity. There's one who I know has already grown out of it and one who will never grow out of it. That Sharpener boy…he's never going to grow out of it. I'm half tempted to go talk to King Yema and persuade him to send that boy to Hell when he dies. But, the one I like, who I think will be good for you, is that girl who sits a couple of seats down from you, Satan Videl," Dende said. Gohan snorted.  
  
"Yeah, right Dende. She laughs whenever Sharpener makes fun of me. How is she different from the others?"  
  
"She's just curious about you. And she really doesn't think Sharpener is all that funny. I've looked into her thoughts a bit to understand her true intention and she really doesn't mean any harm. I know she's the one who invaded your privacy, but she did it out of genuine curiosity. There's something about you that just fascinates her, though she might not realize it," Dende explained. Gohan just looked at Dende.  
  
"Well, I guess we'll find out eventually if you're right or not," Gohan said. Dende smiled before looking at Gohan with concern on his face.  
  
"How are you holding up today in general? You know this is the day that I worry about you the most," Dende said. Gohan nodded.  
  
"Yeah, I know. It's hard, but the anniversary of dad's death is always a hard thing to deal with. Especially since it's my fault he died." Videl felt another heart-clenching moment. Today's the anniversary of his father's death? No wonder he's so down. Wait, he mentioned that in his paper about his dad's fight against Cell and how he sacrificed himself. Is that really true? Videl asked herself.  
  
"Gohan, we've talked about this many times before. It's not your fault Goku is dead." Gohan slammed his fist on the ground, creating a small crater much to Videl's shock; she had never been able to do that to tile before.  
  
"Yes it is, Dende! If I had only finished off Cell when dad told me, he wouldn't have had to sacrifice himself to fix my mistake! I was too cocky. I let my Saiya-jin side come out because of the ascension to the second level and my anger at all he had done. If I hadn't gotten carried away, Goten would have known his father and my mother would still have her husband. Krillin, Tien, Yamcha, and Bulma would all have their best friend. And I wouldn't carry around this guilt for taking all that away. The only way I've been able to even begin to make it up was to kill Cell after he came back. That's the only thing I'm able to take pride in: that I saved this Earth and the universe from eminent destruction." Videl had lost count at how many times she had been shocked over the past 15 minutes.   
  
Gohan was really the one who beat Cell? Wait, he could be lying…but why would he be lying to Kami? Kami already knows the truth and would be able to tell if Gohan was lying. So what was my father's part in the defeat of Cell or did he even have a role besides stealing credit? Videl asked herself, part of her angry that she had been deceived by her father and part of her wondering if Gohan was telling the truth. Gohan sighed.  
  
"But, in many ways I would give up that pride I could just get him back. I understand why he wanted to stay dead, but I was so disappointed when he didn't want to be wished back with the Dragonballs. I mean, didn't he know what he was leaving behind? We all thought the world to be a safer place with him here," Gohan sighed and took a long pause, "I just want him to come back, Dende. That's all." The grief Videl heard in Gohan's words brought tears to her eyes and she leaned back against the vent to blink them away. Suddenly, a pair of feet entered her vision and she looked up, barely able to contain the scream at what she saw.   
  
Obviously a relative of Dende, the green man was tall, all muscle, and looking down at her as if she were vermin. Videl rose shakily to her feet and pressed herself up against the vent as she stared up at the creature in front of her.  
  
"Are you spying on Gohan?" he asked, the concern in his voice obvious. Videl opened her mouth, but no sound came out for several moments.  
  
"I…I just wanted to find him and apologize to him for invading his privacy. And I wanted to make sure he was all right. He stormed out of class today and he looked upset. I just wanted to make sure he didn't do anything to himself." The creature in front of her visibly relaxed, though he still looked too uptight in Videl's opinion.  
  
"Well, I'm sure Gohan will appreciate the concern, but your presence here is not needed anymore," he said. Videl opened her mouth to protest when she heard Dende's voice calling out.  
  
"Piccolo! So that's where you are!" Dende exclaimed, having sensed Piccolo only moments before. Piccolo gave a small sigh before picking Videl up by the back of her collar and carrying her out.  
  
"Look what I found. An eavesdropper," Piccolo stated. Videl looked sheepishly at Dende and Gohan, the latter wearing a look of anguish and disbelief. Videl gave a cute, little wave.  
  
"Hi," she said meekly for the first time in her life, "I told…Piccolo…already that I wasn't spying. I came up here to check on Gohan." Gohan shot her a glare.  
  
"Why? So you could tell everybody about my little temper tantrum. Kami, you probably heard the whole thing about Cell, didn't you. Shit, well isn't this a fucked up situation. Now, on top of a being a geek, I'll have the freak label to add to my lovely collection of embarrassing titles, thank you very much," Gohan said, anger in his voice. Videl knew his anger was justified.  
  
"I didn't come up here to spy on you. I was worried about you!" Videl exclaimed, "I felt so bad on Tuesday when I invaded your privacy. I realize I should have just asked, but I didn't think you'd tell me. I was just so curious. And today, after you stormed out, you looked so sad and alone that I couldn't bear the thought of you being by yourself feeling like that. So, I left class to come find you so I could apologize to you and then offer some comfort." Videl paused and looked straight into Gohan's shocked eyes.  
  
"I know what it feels like to lose a parent. Maybe not in the manner that you lost yours, but the emptiness inside is a feeling I understand all to well," Videl said softly, "And, for what it's worth, I don't think your paper was one big lie. I'm usually a pretty good judge of when somebody is telling the truth. The look on your face and the sound of your voice told me that every word you read was the absolute truth. I may not know you that well, Son Gohan, but I know you're not a person to tell a lie about something that important."   
  
There was silence for several moments before Gohan smiled, his first true genuine smile in a while. Something about that smile did funny things to Videl; her heart skipped a beat and her stomach did a small flip.  
  
"Thanks," he said, "At least I have one believer." Videl gave him a small nod. Dende looked over at Piccolo and walked over to the taller Namek.  
  
"I think that we should leave them alone, don't you think?" Dende said. Piccolo was about to protest, but a flash of the wisdom that the original Kami had left him decided to pop up and Piccolo agreed with Dende before the two of them took off with a flash, flying back to the Lookout. Videl and Gohan watched them go, Videl with a shocked look on her face.  
  
"They can fly?" she asked incredulously.  
  
"Yup," Gohan said, not bothering to hide anything anymore, "It's not that hard, really. I can do it and I can list several others who can, too." Videl looked over at him.  
  
"It can be done? By normal people?" Videl asked. Gohan nodded.  
  
"Most of the humans of the Z-senshi can do it," Gohan said. Videl raised an eyebrow.  
  
"You mean, not all of them are human?" Videl asked. Gohan shook his head.  
  
"Do Dende and Piccolo look human at all?" Videl shook her head.  
  
"Are they aliens?" she asked.  
  
"A type of aliens, yes. There are more aliens on this planet then them, though," Gohan said.  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Well, Vegeta is one. My father was an alien too. So, I guess that makes me, my brother, and Vegeta's son part alien as well," Gohan said, looking over at Videl's shocked look with humor, "Our mothers are human." It only took Videl a couple of seconds to get over it.  
  
"I always knew there was a little something off about you," Videl said, a small smirk on her face as she walked over to him.  
  
"Oh really?" he said.  
  
"Yup," Videl nodded before taking a long pause. "So," she continued a bit later, "You're the strongest warrior in the universe, eh?" Gohan blushed a little.  
  
"Yeah, actually. I mean, I could shock you with what I could with my power. Not that I would ever do it, but it wouldn't even take a second thought for me to destroy this planet," Gohan said.  
  
"Well, I'm relieved that you wouldn't ever do it intentionally," Videl said, "So, why don't you tell me about being the strongest warrior in the universe?" Gohan blushed slightly as she led him back over to the railing at the edge of the roof and they sat down in the spots where Gohan and Dende were earlier.  
  
"You mean, you actually care to know?" Gohan asked. Videl smiled up at Gohan, giving him the dazzling, 1000 watt smile she rarely unleashed. Gohan felt his mouth go dry at the sight of that gorgeous smile.  
  
"Yes, I actually do." Gohan smiled back at her.  
  
"Well, it all started when I was four…"  
  
--------------  
Well, that's it! That's the end of this little story! I hoped you all liked it. 


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